


Can't Leave Home Yet

by nicedracula



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:53:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26495185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicedracula/pseuds/nicedracula
Summary: Sage doesn't want to face that the world has ended quite yet.
Relationships: Codsworth & Female Sole Survivor
Kudos: 3





	Can't Leave Home Yet

In spite of the radiation and pollution that drained the green from the earth for so many years, desaturating and ravaging the land, the sky above it still managed to be a clear, brilliant blue. Sage cupped a hand over her eyes as she peered up at its vibrance, in awe of one of the few, untouched remnants from a time she was almost certain she was the only one left to remember with such clarity, as if it were only just yesterday.

And it was, for her, only just yesterday. Or, at least, just a few days ago.

She continued her trek down the sidewalk, once pristine, now stained and littered with debris. Houses that once contained people that, while she did not know them well, she knew, still stood. Some structures had become unrecognizable shambles of plaster and walls and framework, but most were still stubbornly standing. She kept her head held up high, alert for signs of life, the small scuttle of insect legs, but only heard the rustling of trees.

The shock of the world had left her exhausted, despite having spent a little over two centuries unconscious. She thought that that would leave her more well-rested than any other time in her life, but it only left her weak and uncomfortable, like a foreigner in her own body that she had to reacquaint herself with.

She recalled falling asleep her first evening in the wasteland. The last thing she had heard was the gentle whirring and clicks as Codsworth made his rounds in the household, attending imaginary chores that no longer needed seeing to, trimming withering hedges and scrubbing filthy dishes with a dry sponge. With her eyes closed, lying on a mildewed mattress, she could almost imagine herself inside her old home, no longer dilapidated. However, the absence of sound—the noise of people, of other life—made it impossible to completely submerge herself into this dream.

It was odd, living in the ruined house that used to be just down the street from her old home. It was not because her home had been completely destroyed, unlike a few unlucky others. She simply could not bring herself to push open the tarnished orange door yet, and be faced with the undeniable, tangible evidence that this was all real.

So she lived in the former home of the Parkers, who she remembered as a nice family, if not overbearingly friendly at times. There were holes in the roof and walls, but the structure was still stable, and in a bittersweet way, still felt like home.

She completed her patrol and arrived back at her makeshift home. She could spy Codsworth easily as he roamed the porch, his round metal hull hovering just a few feet above air, propelled by a modest jet on his underside. His appearance reminded Sage a bit of a octopus; three arms proportioned below his bulbous 'head', and three optics sticking out on stalks, like wide observant eyes. She had pointed out this comparison her parents once, who only seemed confused by it, and reminded her that octopuses have two eyes and eight tentacles. 

He was humming Old World tunes to himself before he noticed her approaching, then turned all three of his optics to look at her.

"Ah! Miss Sage," he said, delighted. His voice sounded hollow and metallic. "Any trouble brewing on the property?"

"Still nothing."

"Splendid! As much as I enjoy company, I would rather it not be of the insect variety."

Sage nodded distantly, and the stalks of his optics drooped fretfully.

"Should you rest, mum? The past few days have been taxing on you, I imagine."

"Oh, no," she shook her head to wake herself up, and forced a smile on her face. "I feel like I've rested plenty. Two hundred years plenty."

"And a decade," he added, an attempt to keep the conversation light-hearted.

There was an awkward lull in the conversation, and Sage wondered for a moment if he would ask her about leaving Sanctuary Hills again. He was too courteous to, though. She could tell. The last time he had asked, she had still been in an inconsolable state, and he had not asked again since. She could see that he wanted to, that as much as he supported her reluctance to leave her home, he also did not see how long it could last

Sage left the conversation at that, and Codsworth resumed his chores. She went inside and took the remaining cans, boxes, and bottles and lined them up on the table—another routine she had established for herself in the apocalypse. Her heart sank as she saw that the small pile was only getting smaller.

It made sense, of course, but something in her mind felt stuck in time. For her, it was still the very first day she had left the vault and walked into the nuclear wasteland. Yet the world insisted to keep up at an unimaginable pace, running far ahead of her, and she wondered if she would ever be able to catch up.

She heard the hum of Codsworth's circuitry as he entered the doorway, moving along to the next bit of busywork.

"Are there really people out there?" Sage asked without looking up from her pile of rations.

"I would assume so," Codsworth said. "At least in Concord. They may be ruffians, but they may also be the only other humans the world has got." He paused, letting out a metallic sigh. "I'm afraid I can't be much more use than that. You see, I haven't traveled beyond Concord as of yet."

"Neither have I. Not for a while, at least."


End file.
